Depth psychology
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Depth psychology is a broad term that refers to any psychological approach examining the depth (the hidden or deeper parts) of human experience.
Origin of Depth Psychology
Historically, depth psychology, from a German term (Tiefenpsychologie) coined by Eugen Bleuler, has come to refer to the ongoing development of theories and therapies pioneered by Pierre Janet and Carl Jung, with contributions by ]]Sigmund Freud]], and Alfred Adler, [[Otto Rank], Thomas Moore, and others.
It provides a set of techniques for exploring underlying motives and a method of treating various mental disorders. It seeks the deep layer(s) underlying behavioral and cognitive processes - the unconscious. The initial work and development of the theories and therapies by Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler and Otto Rank that became to be known as depth psychology have resulted in three perspectives in modern times:
- Psychoanalytic: Freud's object relations
- Adlerian: Adler’s Individual psychology
- Jungian: Jung’s Analytical psychology and James Hillman’s "Archetypal psychology"
Those schools were most strongly influenced by the work of Carl Jung, a 20th century Swiss psychiatrist who in his Analytical psychology emphasise questions of psyche, human development and personality development (or individuation). Jung was knowledgeable of esotericism, religion and spirituality, and draws on myths, archetypes and the idea of the collective unconscious.
Other influences
Also included in the realm of Depth psychology is the influence of transpersonal psychology (which itself includes humanistic psychology and Far Eastern currents), and existentialism, which has worked its way into the psychotherapy world primarily via Rollo May. Robert Sardello, though his School of Spiritual Psychology, which builds on the work of Jung, Moore, Hillman, and Rudolf Steiner, teaches ways to deal with complex issues of our time through bringing the concept of Soul back into consciousness.
Developments in late 20th century quantum physics and depth psychology both point to parallel ideas of a unitarian idea of reality. Depth psychology revealed in the deepest regions of psyche a profound connection with matter; quantum physiics revealed in the depths of matter a profound conection with the psyche. This research is demonstrating the possibility of transcending the dualism of mind and matter, spiritual and physical.
Key concepts
The following is a summary of the primary elements of Depth psychology:
- Depth psychology states that psyche is a process that is partly conscious and partly unconscious. The unconscious in turn contains repressed experiences and other personal-level issues in its "upper" layers and "transpersonal" (eg. collective, non-egoic, archetypal) forces in its depths.
- The psyche spontaneously generates mythico-religious symbolism and is therefore spiritual as well as instinctive in nature. An implication of this is that the choice of whether to be a spiritual person or not does not exist—the only question is exactly where we put our spirituality: Do we live it consciously or unknowingly invest it in nonspiritual aspirations (perfectionism, addictions, greed, fame) that eventually possess us by virtue of their ignored but frightfully potent numinous power?
- All minds, all lives, are ultimately embedded in some sort of myth-making. Mythology is not a series of old explanations for natural events; it is rather the richness and wisdom of humanity played out in a wondrous symbolical storytelling. No story, no myth, and no humanness either.
- Because we have a psychical share in all that surrounds us, we are sane and whole only to the degree that we care for our environment and tend responsibly to the world in which we live.
- There is a “seat of meaningful experience” where the psyche’s personal and transpersonal poles meet; this seat is referred to as soul. Hillman refers to it as an imaginative deepening of events into experiences. One of depth psychology’s aims is to bring discussion of soul back into psychology. (See the work of Hillman, Moore, Sardello.)
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